6 Ways to Help Your Child Thrive During the New School Year

As parents, we strive to do everything we can to help our children “kick off” their new school year with a positive and encouraging note.   We are the single most influential figures in our child’s life, so now is the time to get on board to ensure your child will have his best new school year ever. 

Heading back to school doesn’t have to be overwhelming for you or your child. With some preparation, consistent routines, a positive outlook, and lots of love and encouragement, you can help your child to navigate this transition with ease and enjoy a fantastic new school year.

Mighty Mommy shares 6 simple things you can focus on to help your child thrive during the new school year.

#1:  Encourage Your Child’s Passion

Let’s face it—most of us dream of raising a child who will change the world with an extraordinary contribution like finding the cure for cancer, inventing cars that run on water, fostering world peace, or maybe even concocting a chocolate that is actually nutritious, delicious, and able to eliminate wrinkles!

Look at Mark Zuckerberg, co-creator of the life-changing social networking site, Facebook. Many people wonder what was it about Zuckerberg’s childhood that gave him the creative mind to come up with such an incredible concept. In a recent interview with New York Magazine his father, Ed Zuckerberg, admits that he and his wife didn’t profess any special child-rearing skills. “The best I can say is that as parents, you can engineer the life you want your kids to have, but it may not be the life they want to have. You have to encourage them to pursue their passions. And you have to spend more time on them than you spend on anything else,” he shares.

Let this be the school year that your child’s creativity soars!  Start right from the first week of school,to begin engaging your child in tasks and conversation that will get his creative juices flowing.  Rather than strictly focusing on homework and all that needs to be done academically, make time to discover art, music, crafts, and other hands-on projects that could open up some new doors of exploration this school year.  See Also:  How to Overcome Homework Battles

#2:  Be a Playful Parent

Have you noticed how much fun your kids have when they're at play? Just because we're all grown up doesn't mean we have to miss out on some fun and frolic. One way to guarantee your kids will have a “fun”tastic new school year is to loosen up and put your playful foot forward!

One way to do this is to play games with your kids before homework and chores. They love spending time with you, especially when you join in on what they love to do. Some kids like outdoor, physical activities, while others prefer card games and board games. Some like to sit quietly and snuggle with you as you read a book together. Follow their lead.  Hide and seek is especially fun no matter how old your kids are. 

#3:   Routines

Ideally, you’ll have your child adjust back into “school routines” a few weeks before school actually begins. This can create a much smoother transition from “summer mode” back into school, rather than a rocky, rude awakening on the first day of school!

Routines help keep order and structure in your home (though your kids might never admit it), they also help kids thrive and keep them grounded. Consistency is the key with any new schedule, but the morning routine can really make or break your child’s daily success.

Morning routines set the tone for the whole day, so don’t wait until after everyone has overslept to get your morning routine under way, you’ll only set a frantic pace for the whole family which can easily leave you all feeling overwhelmed before you even get out the door. Successful routines take planning, though they needn’t be complicated and time consuming to put into place. 

Decide what time your family will be getting up each day and stick to it. Whether your family will be awaking to their own alarm clocks or to your motherly nudging, remember that an affectionate and pleasant “GOOD MORNING SLEEPYHEADS” is a nicer way for everyone to wake up to than you screeching “GET UP OR ELSE!” Make sure that your children are well-rested so they don’t oversleep and that you enforce work before play. In other words, no watching cartoons or playing video games until children are completely dressed, fed, and have all their school supplies ready.

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#4:  Let Them Fail

Believe it or not one way that you can help your child succeed in the new school year is to allow her to fail.  This may go against every parenting philosophy you’ve engrained yourself with from day one, but if we don’t allow our kids to try out their wings before they leave the nest, they’re going to take a plummeting dive and hit the ground rather than expand their wings and take flight.

Jessica Lahey, a New Hampshire-based high school teacher and author of The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed is a firm believer in letting kids learn the hard way.  In 5 ways to help your kid have a great school year (Hint: don’t help him) she says “It’s important that we get our kids to the point where they don’t need us at all, and that’s really counter-intuitive,” she says. “Those moment-to-moment things that you do to save your kids—like when they’ve forgotten their homework on the table and you run it up to school for them? That’s going to end up biting them in the butt down the road.”

She goes on to explain, “Sure, Lahey says, it might feel like you’re being a great parent in the moment, but in the end, it probably makes you feel better rather than helping your kid. “It doesn’t allow them to say, ‘Oh, crap. I forgot that homework on the table. What kind of system can I put in place so that doesn’t happen again?’ It makes it so that they don’t have to put a system in place.”

#5: Get Everything Ready the Night Before

This is one of those tips that will pay off for the entire family and will ensure a successful school year as long as you make the commitment to do it every night. Taking a few minutes the night before school to organize backpacks, homework, lunches, gym clothes, musical instruments, and field trip slips can add years to your life! This small investment can prevent that stressful chaos of wondering if Tommy’s left sneaker is actually buried in his closet or hidden in the toy box. Get your kids involved in the night-before organizing so they too can breathe easier when the morning rush hits.

#6:  Help Them Fill Their Tanks

Today’s kids live very full and scheduled lives. While there is nothing wrong with that, it’s also important to learn that we all need down time on a regular basis to recharge our batteries. This school year, remember: You don’t have to accept every invitation or commitment that comes your way. 

Get into the habit of incorporating “time for self” each and every week for all members of the family. Let your children see you lying on the couch reading or sitting at the table doodling. Take walks at the beach or in the park together. When our kids and other family members see us creating regular “me time” it teaches them the important lesson that it is not selfish to step away from our harried schedules to refuel our tanks, but rather that it’s vital to our overall healthy well-being.  See Also:  5 Ways Selfish Parenting Can Benefit Your Family

How do you help your child kick off a great new school year?  Share your thoughts in the comment section at http://ift.tt/1zMEe2L, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page, or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com.